The Low Carbon Economy Ltd

Adding lime to the sea could lower CO2 emissions

Putting large quantities of lime into the world's oceans could not only stop the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere but also reverse it.

That is according to Cquestrate, a scheme proposed by Tim Kruger at the Manchester International Festival this weekend, which claimed that the mineral would convert CO2 dissolved in water into bicarbonate ions, decreasing the water's acidity and allowing it to absorb more of the gas.

Presenting his ideas in front of experts at the two-day event including Dan Reicher, director of climate change at Google.org and UK energy secretary Ed Miliband, he explained that tipping large quantities of lime into the ocean would be illegal under present laws.

Mr Kruger added: "It's essential that we reduce our emissions but that may not be enough. We need a plan B to actually reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

"We need to research such concepts now - not just the science but also the legal, ethical and governance considerations."

According to the Guardian, Mr Kruger also admitted that Cquestrate would require the mining and processing of ten cubic kilometres of limestone a year in order to absorb all of the world's CO2 emissions.

Cquestrate is one of 20 ideas to fight climate change put forward for the Manchester Report, due to be published in full later this month.